Spotlight South Africa: Burty the Puppy Gets a New Lease on Life

Burty was one such pup who arrived at the clinic in August, brought him by his owners who live in an area called Braamfischer. He was suffering from seizures and no amount of blood tests could determine the cause of the seizures. Project vet Dr Saskia Karius, who is also the project's resident puppy therapist and psychologist, was determined to do everything in her means to give Burty a chance to live a normal life and spent many hours caring for Burty.

Burty was adopted by a long time supporter of the project, Roberta, and so far he has not suffered anymore seizures. He visited the clinic in mid-September with Roberta for his follow up vaccination and was clearly delighted at the chance to visit Saskia again and all his furry friends. Bounding across the courtyard in the spring sun, he lapped up all the attention he was getting from everyone, not passing by the opportunity to snuggle up to his old friend Saskia.

Saskia is very optimistic that Burty will go from strength to strength and continue to provide Roberta with many hours of unconditional love. He will be undergoing puppy training soon with a view to becoming a therapy dog. Although many more "Burty's" will come through the project's door, its reassuring to know that these pups will always find a haven in IFAW's Dog & Cat Project, some to help them recover until they can go home and others to help them find their forever homes. -- LCH